


Can I Join You?

by senseiPusan



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Blind Date, Crazy, Dinner, F/M, Forevver Alone, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 14:27:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19297612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senseiPusan/pseuds/senseiPusan
Summary: Hopper is sitting alone at a restaurant. With his date a no show. Reader steps in.





	Can I Join You?

**Author's Note:**

> Based on that tiny clip of season 3 trailer where Hopper is sitting alone at a restaurant.

It's been fifteen minutes waiting outside the restaurant alone and your brother still hasn't shown up yet. You had actually dressed up nice, in your favorite Y/F/C dress.  
Not waiting anymore you head inside to the hostess stand. Before you can speak you see something that hurts your own heart. The man you saw entering the restaurant when you pulled in. Is sitting alone in the middle of the restaurant. It's obvious that whoever the other seat was reserved for is a no show. As if they've stood him up. He's not bad looking or anything, he's actually kind of adorable. In his peach and mint colored shirt and khaki jacket.   
But it's when he angrily lights a cigarette you ignore the hostess and make a straight line to him. It's a sadness that you know too well.   
"Hi. Um do you mind if I join you?" Nervously you point at the empty chair.   
"What?" He looks up startled.   
"Can I join you for dinner? I'm alone and it looks like you're alone. I thought you might like some company."  
"Yeah.. sure." Fumbling he quickly straightens in the chair. "My name's Jim."  
"Y/N." You give him a smile as you sit down.   
"You from Hawkins?"  
"No, I live just outside Upland."  
"Ah Upland the fighting Rams. Hawkins and Upland were the biggest rivals."  
"They still are for some reason." Nodding you awkwardly place the napkin in your lap.  
"What brings you here?"  
"My brother is here for work so I decided to come visit. He's the one who stood me up for dinner."  
"Well… as you can see my date never showed." He gives an I'm definitely not stressed smile.  
"Sorry about that." He instantly waves off your apology.  
"It's not your fault but it's the last time I let a coworker set me up."  
"See that's where you went wrong. Cause now it's going to be awkward at work."  
"Yeah well that's how it goes."   
The waiter appears and you both just radle off the first thing you see. Before this night becomes a disaster you might as well break the ice.  
"Well do you live by yourself or have children?"   
"A daughter."   
"How old?"  
"Thirteen."  
"Oh I remember those days. Hormones and hating everyone." Nodding you take a sip of water.   
Chuckling he pulls out a photo from his wallet.   
"My daughter Jane." He shows you a picture of him and a brown haired girl. When he leans in you notice how his eyes soften when talking about her. She must be his whole world.  
"Awe she's adorable! I'm loving the outfit." She is wearing a black romper with colored dinosaurs on it. "Is she relaxing at home tonight?"  
"She's with her friends. Every Friday night they play DnD or whatever it is." Shrugging he doesn't really remember the name.   
"It's called Dungeons and Dragons, but most people call it DnD for short."  
"You know what that is?" He's shocked, obvious by the way his eyes widened.  
"Yeah I used to play it back in highschool. My character was a Ranger Changeling named Sirx. Who liked to pretend they were an elf." He gives you a confused look. "Older brothers."  
"Older brothers can be a dangerous thing."  
"Dangerous to some." Smiling you visibly see him relax. Which relaxes you.   
The night goes on and the awkwardness goes away. You're chatting as if you haven't seen each other in years. Ignoring the time and looks from the staff as it gets late. It's not until the server puts the check down do you both look at the time. It's almost time for them to close.  
You both reach for the check but you pull it away first. "No I got it. I intruded and asked you about dinner."  
"I was already here. I can't let you do that." Shaking his head he reaches for it again.   
"I said no." Giving him a stern look he finally backs off.  
"You have a mean look. But I get the check next time."   
"Next time?" Surprised you double check that he really just said that.  
"Well yeah… if you want." Shrugging he avoids eye contact.   
"I would love to."  
After paying for the check and having him accompany you to the car. You swap numbers and hope he does call you next week. All the while trying to resist hungrily staring at his body.  
~  
Hopper is barely able to open the door.   
"You're late." El states from the couch. Flipping through the TV channels. "Johnathan dropped me off."  
"I know. Sorry that I didn't call." Taking off the jacket, he moves to grab a beer.  
"How was the date?"  
"Uh..they didn't show up." Shrugging he tossed the lid on the counter.  
"Why are you late?" Ignoring the TV El turns around.  
"Well that's the thing. I was going to leave when someone asked if they could have dinner with me. I said yes and that's why I'm late."  
"You like them?"  
"Yeah she seems nice and all but I don't know. The original date was just to get Flo off my back."  
"Friends don't lie." El puts him on the receiving end of an angry stare.  
"Yes…" Internally groaning he hates it when she pulls that card. "She's cute and I had fun. But I don't think now's the time for dating. We just got you enrolled in school and have to make sure you keep up."  
"Everyone else has a Dad and Mom. But that's okay this is still home." With a huff and a little bit of a cold shoulder   
"Seriously? You're starting a fight because you want someone else here?"   
"Everyone has two parents except me and Will."  
"Sorry, but I haven't been in a stable relationship for years."  
"Why?"  
".... After Sara… I-I blamed myself. I pushed everyone away and my wife divorced me."  
"Divorce?"  
"Uh to permanently leave, a government legal word meaning to stay away after two people don't want to be married anymore."  
"Oh. Sorry."   
"It's fine. Come on time for bed." Hop points.  
"It's not a school night."  
"Bed."  
Groaning El sluggishly heads to bed grumbling about it being the weekend.  
"Ah home sweet home." With a sigh he chugs the beer ready to hit the hay.  
~  
Unable to sleep Hop is up early making breakfast.  
"Dad."  
"What?"  
"Mike and the rest are going to Crazy Pete's carnival tonight. Can I go?"  
"How much? How long?"  
"$10 for the ride pass. I don't know how long, but I figured I could stay with Max tonight. And you could call your date." Jim groans at the last comment. "What?"  
"I'll make you a deal." El perks up when he turns. "You don't do anything dangerous or comment on my lack of dating. I will call her to see about another date after I drop you off."  
"Deal."  
"What's her name?"  
"Y/N. Why?"  
"Just wondering." El smiles sitting down at the table.  
~  
You're wandering around the carnival when you see Jim surrounded by a bunch of kids. Excited, you didn't expect to see him so soon. You notice one of the girls is his daughter. Approaching him you hear the conversation.  
"Dude I'm a dollar short." The brown curly hair one says.  
"Dustin!" Everyone groans.  
"Well what do we have here? Six hoodlums whose low on funds and a grumpy father." You sneak up right beside Jim.  
"Y/N? What are you doing here?" He about jumps out of his skin.   
"Um it's a carnival? Why wouldn't I be here?" Holding back laughter you try to remain serious.   
"See she gets it." Dustin sasses.  
"What are you short a dollar for?" Nodding at the pile of coins.  
"The unlimited ride pass." Another one says.  
"Thought so, I'll be right back." Quickly walking to the ticket booth.   
"Y/N? Is that her?" El now pesters.   
"Yes."  
"Who's Y/N?" Mike asks.  
"My date last night." Hop grumbles.  
Returning you hear the ooooooo's from the kids.  
"Now let's see I have six wristbands and oh! Look there's six children here. How about we make a deal?"  
"What kind of deal?" The redhead girl asks.  
"How about you tell me your favorite color and you can have them."  
"Blue." El blurts.  
"And we have our first winner of the evening!" Smiling you hand a wrist band over. Once the others saw how serious you are. They couldn't say the color fast enough. Then like lightning they all bolt leaving you alone with Jim. One shouted later chief as they ran.   
"You really got to stop that. You're going to make me look bad." Teasing you with a smile.  
"Stop what?"  
"Paying for everything."  
"Eh don't worry about that, they're on the house."  
"On the house? You work here?" Now he's confused.  
"No. I work as a school secretary."  
"Wait, does your brother work here?"  
"Close. My brother owns the carnival."  
"Owns the carnival? Crazy Pete is your brother?" He motions to the whole carnival.  
"No. Crazy Pete is my uncle. My younger brother took over when he retired."  
"You're not crazy. Good, just your brother and uncle." Hop is a little jumbled at this news. You laugh at his response.  
"No I'm not crazy… So what's with the whole Chief thing?"  
"Oh I'm the chief of police here." Shrugging it off he starts walking waiting for you to catch up.  
"Ah, so that's why people were staring even more when I sat down at dinner. Becoming the local gossip."  
"Something like that. The old ladies say I don't play well with others and smoke too much, drink too much. Too much baggage."  
"The normal reasons of gossip for any single people over twenty five."  
"Yeah well I'm not twenty five." Huffing with a dissatisfied look. Obvious that he finds himself too old for this.  
"Well what do you say? Want to take a walk around? Maybe hit the ferris wheel?" Eyebrows wiggling you hold up two more wristbands. Trying your best to instigate another date and just maybe some other less appropriate things. Cause he is still adorable as hell and the scruffy dad bod does things to you.  
"Only if you win me a stuffed animal."


End file.
